Darkness
by Bullet in the Brainpan- Squish
Summary: Toshiro gave an impolite snort. “Kusajishi couldn’t command a trained dog to do tricks, let alone be any help in a situation like this. Come on, Matsumoto. Let’s try and keep from losing the entire 11th division.”


**Toshiro: WHAT THE HECK IS THIS DRIBBLE!?!**

**Healer: It's not Dribble, it's a perfectly good one-shot! **

**TOshiro: Yeah right, this will never happen in real life!**

**Yachiru: you wanna try that again, Icy-chan?**

**Toshiro: um? Uh.. HEaler doens't own Bleach?**

**Yachiru: nice cover up.**

**Healer: -shakes head- Here you go Copper, hopefully this helps you see ToChiru is love.**

* * *

Blood seeped from the bandages and dripped on the floor in a steady rhythm. This really wasn't new for the small girl curled up in a chair nearby. She was used to sitting in the hospital, listening to breathes of her Ken-chan.

Today was different though. This wasn't the usual fun-fight injury. They were sitting in the middle of a blown-out war, something Yachiru had never been in. The drip-drip of Kenpachi's blood was scaring her now.

"Fuku-Taicho," A soft voice said from the doorway. Yachiru glanced up to see Yumichika and Aramaki watching her. She raised an eyebrow, curious as to why they were bothering her.

Aramaki gulped, "Fuku-Taicho, we need an officer on the field."

Yachiru glanced down at Kenpachi's prone body. "Baldy?" She asked quietly.

"He was injured as well, sir," Yumichika said softly. "I can take command, but I don't think the reinforcements from the Tenth will obey."

"You think they'll listen to me?" Yachiru's voice was harsh, mocking.

"Fuku-Taicho, there's an Espada out there," Yumichika said, his tone sharper. "We can't take it out,"

Yachiru looked up and sighed. She rose, place a soft kiss on Kenpachi's cheek and nodded to her subordinates. "Give me five minutes to get ready."

---

Being on a battlefield like this was not something Hitsugaya Toshiro ever thought he would be. But here he was, protecting the 76th district of Runkongai from a total and completely _organized_ onslaught of hollows. Or at least, he was trying anyways. The first attack he had simply stood back and directed the natural disaster that was Kenpachi and his men towards the weak points in the hollow's formations. Now the fact that Kenpachi was laid up in the hospital put a crimp in that plan.

"Taicho?" Toshiro didn't need to look up to know that his vice-captain was watching him. "Taicho, we just got word from some seated officers in the 11th. They said they didn't need me to take command. I think Yumichika took over, but the boy's grins seemed a little too blood-thirsty for it to be Yumi. Perhaps we should check it out?"

Toshiro looked up and raised his eyebrows. "Is there anyone else to take command other then Yumichika?"

Matusmoto shrugged, "Yachiru?"

Toshiro gave an impolite snort. "Kusajishi couldn't command a trained dog to do tricks, let alone be any help in a situation like this. Come on, Matsumoto. Let's try and keep from losing the entire 11th division."

---

Walking where the battle-weary division was, he immediately a difference. Everyone was settled in a spot, swords in arm distance and eyes trained to where the enemy was, steaming mugs of something in their hands and food in their laps. The difference though, laid in their eyes. After Kenpachi fell, their eyes had gained a dead look. Now, bloodthirsty gleams and grins were everywhere.

"Aramaki, get me a number on wounded and dead," A clear female voice called. Toshiro glanced in that direction and blinked at where it came from. A small woman was seated on the fore-most piece of the barricade that they had built, watching the enemy. Her back was to him, so he didn't know who she was. The only thing he could gather was her long hair pulled back in a ponytail was _pink_.

"Yes, sir," Aramaki intoned, taking off towards the erected medic-tent. Toshiro watched him go and traded a look with Matsumoto. She shrugged, not knowing either.

"Excuse me," Toshiro snapped, stepping forwards towards the woman and looking up at her. Her perch was high off the ground "Who do you thin-"

"Shut it," The woman sharply interrupted him, not turning. "Yumichika! Give me an estimate for sundown," The fifth seat, who had been a few feet away nodded and ran off.

"Your name?" Toshiro growled. He didn't like being interrupted. The woman sighed and looked down to stare at him with mud-and-blood colored eyes. She smirked at him.

"Really, Icy-chan?" She asked, her tone mocking, "You've got to ask?"

---

Hitsugaya's jaw dropped and he stared at her in disbelief. Matsumoto hadn't fared much better in her shock. Yachiru smirked and jumped down from her place and landed in front of him in a crouch. She straightened and pushed his jaw up with a finger.

"Now, I'm taking over the 11th until Ken-chan is healed. We're attacking the hollows when it goes dark, okay? I may need a few squads from your division to cover empty places in the line and of course once we charge, your job will to be hold the barricade," Still seeing a blank look in Hitsugaya's eyes, Yachiru sighed and glanced at Matsumoto, "Do you understand?" She asked. Matsumoto's eyes focused and she nodded.

"Understood, Yachiru. We can do that. Why dark though?" Matusmoto asked, curious.

"Because that's when our secret weapon will be best suited to take out that Espada. Do we know the number on that thing?" Yachiru questioned.

"I believe we have a report that it's number 4, but I could be wrong. We know it's name, Wonderweiss." Matsumoto scowled. "He's the one who brought that giant monster to Karakura,"

"You won't be able to beat him," Hitsugaya said, finally recovered from his shock. "There's no way he can beat by just swordplay. You aren't that good."

Yachiru shrugged, "I'll cheat, so what? Once Maki-Maki comes back, I'll be able to tell you how many squads I'll need. I doubt it'll be more three, but that's an estimate."

"You seem confident that you'll be able to win," Hitsugaya muttered. Yachiru grinned sweetly up at him, since he was only a few inches taller then her.

"Oh, I'll win, I know that for sure."

---

Toshiro stood back a little, behind where Yachiru had organized her division. He gritted his teeth, annoyed with her. Something about the girl had always grated his nerves and now he had an idea as to what. She wasn't just a harmless-looking child. She was really a teenager, a few inches shorter then he was and, damn it all to hell, she was cute on top of it. Girls that bloodthirsty were not allowed to be cute.

"Taicho, everything is in place," Matsumoto reported. Toshiro nodded, his eyes not leaving the back of a pink-haired head.

He should've known that Matsumoto would've picked up on it. She was too observant not to. He sighed and glanced back in her knowing eyes.

"It's not like that," He snapped.

"Right, Taicho," Matsumoto nodded sternly, though her eyes glittered with amusement. "You're pissed that she took over your command."

"It's not that either," Toshiro narrowed his eyes at her.

"Then what is it?" Matsumoto asked, her gaze becoming more serious.

"Do you really think she'll be able to beat Wonderwiess? I doubt it," Toshiro turned to look back at this side of the barricade. Yachiru was sitting with her back against it, staring up at the slowly darkening sky.

"If she does, I wonder where she'll get the tattoo," Matsumoto wondered out loud. Toshiro's head spun so fast to look at Matusmoto that his neck cracked.

"What tattoo?" He asked sharply.

Matusmoto hid a smirk, "I guess you didn't know about it. I only hear about it from drinking with the boys. Apparently, if anyone beats an Espada, they're going to get the number tattooed on them somewhere. Rumor has it, those who beat a Fraccion are getting Fs. Ikkaku got one that looked like it was burning on his shoulder. Yumichika even joined in. He got an F on his left shoulder that looks like it's made of a thorny vine. If Yachiru wins, she's got to get one herself, they already made the bet."

"You're kidding," Toshiro said, his eyes wide, "Kenpachi would never go for that."

"Kenpachi-Taicho already gave the ok. He just laughed, really. I wonder if he'll get pissed that she's going to beat a number 4 and he only beat a number 5," Matsumoto muttered the last part.

"Knowing him, he probably will be," Toshiro said, looking back towards the 11th division vice-captain. The fight was starting.

---

Her plan was really simple. Get a man from each squad to throw the lit torches into the battlefield. Then she would use the darkness on the other side to shield her boys from the light and use it to completely surprise the hollows who would be rampaging towards them. Simple, but tricky.

It all hinged on her and her sword. If they failed, then the back-up plan would be to unleash the real secret weapon and she wanted that to be a secret as long as she could keep it. It was going to be a bloody battle but this should be the last for here.

She'd make sure of it.

She nodded at Yumichika and he rose, lifted his blade and sliced down in one swift motion. All along the barricade, the torches flew through the air and stuck in the ground. She had ordered the men to whittle the ends of the torches into points a while ago.

This time Aramaki raised his arm and dropped it and the members of the 10th that had been spread out along the wall muttered their little incantations. The torches burst into light.

Yachiru smiled. She glanced at Yumichika, "Don't forget, when the sword hit's the ground," She murmured. He nodded.

Yachiru stepped out into flickering light, watching the hollows milling across the field. She placed her hand on the blade sheathed at her waist. She hadn't taken the wheels off the sheath yet, but she wasn't going to yet. That was Ikkaku's job, if she wanted them off anyways. She had grown attached to her unique sheath.

She watched all the hollows seem to come to attention when she stepped onto the field. She didn't move, just watched. A grin crossed her face as she saw a diminutive form step out across the field of her. She didn't need light to see that it was the Espada.

"Bastard," A voice behind her growled. Yachiru didn't look back, but knew her division hated the new _Cuarta _Espada. The 11th division might be a bunch of fighting fanatics, but they had a lot of respect for Ukitake. Attacking a captain from behind was dishonorable and the 11th frowned upon dishonorable.

"Son of a bitch!" Someone to Yachiru's left screamed across the field. Another brave soul screamed out, "Go back to hell!"

Yachiru smirked. Insults weren't usually thrown about like this, but when they were, the 11th beat everyone. More would join in, only if she gave her permission.

"_Aizen's man-whore_!" Yachiru's clear ringing voice carried through the air far and wide. "_Come on, you little gay bitch! Come and die!_"

A roar of cheers erupted on her side of the field, but was quickly drowned by the screams of charging Hollows.

---

Toshiro blinked at Yachiru's challenge and the roar of her division. He glanced at Matsumoto, "Is she always that vulgar?"

Matsumoto shrugged, "I'm not sure, but I think so."

Toshiro turned back as the screams of the hollows started. "It's starting," he murmured. His hand strayed up, gripping the hilt of his blade. Matsumoto gulped as the already cool night air began getting colder.

"Calm down, you little idiot," a rumbling voice ordered. Matsumoto jumped and spun to see a bandaged Kenpachi sliding into a chair. "You're giving your vice-captain frostbite,"

Toshiro just glared at the giant of a man. He nodded towards the battlefield, "You okay with this?"

Kenpachi shrugged and the tightening of the skin around his eye was the only sign of that pain. "Brat can take care of herself," He said, watching the field.

Toshiro scowled, and spun, watching in the bare light the hollows almost half-way across the field. He gritted his teeth, "Why isn't she starting the attack?"

"She's got a plan," Kenpachi replied. "Brat always has a plan,"

---

The moment the hollows threw themselves onto the field, Yachiru drew her sword. She twirled it a few times, loosening up her wrist. In her mind, she could already see the black cat that was her zanpakuto.

'_Ready?' _She silently asked. The cat gave her a dark grin, pink eyes glinting in the mindscape.

'_I cannot wait to taste their blood,' _A deep voice echoed in Yachiru's mind. She never understood how her sword was male. Most people had swords the same gender as them, since they were pieces of their souls. It always made her wonder.

'_Once upon a time, that would've scared me,' _Yachiru though amused, '_Now it just reassures me,'_

The minute the first hollow hit the half-way mark, she pun her sword in the air. "Delve into shadows, _Kumori no Suteneko!_" She drove her sword into the ground, point down.

A deep pulse of power filled the field. Yachiru's senses went into overload as Kumori connected to every shadow and strip of darkness on the battlefield. She could see the hollow's masks, hear their breaths leaving their lips, even the pounding of their feet on her skin. She barely registered that the 11th was charging, until Yumichika passed the border of light and darkness made by the torches.

'_Wake up, little child'_ Kumori's voice echoed through her head. She jerked slightly, his words waking her from her sensory explosion. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated.

It wasn't hard to mold the darkness to her will. Kumori helped, making it even easier. She made it so her boys were completely hidden in the shadows and the hollows were visible. The roar and clashing of weapons made her smile softly.

This was what she lived for.

---

Toshiro had felt the pulse of reiatsu, though he had no clue what it was. Whatever it was, it was powerful. '_Ah, so she unleashed Kumori no Suteneko on the world,'_ Hyorinmaru's voice rumbled through his mind.

'_Kumori no Suteneko?'_ Toshiro asked hesitantly.

'_watch_'

"Damn brat," Kenpachi muttered, though his voice held approval. Toshiro glanced at him. He was grinning viciously down at the fighting. It was hard to see through the darkness to the fighting itself, but Toshiro could barely make out outlines.

"You seem happy," Toshiro said, his tone slightly sharp. Kenpachi glanced at him, still grinning.

"Why shouldn't I be? Brat gets to do something she rarely has a chance to do. She gets to kick ass," He said, almost laughing.

"You do know Wonderweiss is number 4, right?" Matsumoto questioned gently. Kenpachi shot her a look.

"Shit," He muttered darkly, "I'm never going to hear the end of that."

Toshiro almost smiled. He turned back to watch the fight, but not being able to see much, his eyes trained on what he could see.

She was staring out into the dark, her hands resting comfortably on the hilt of her sword. Long bangs freed of her ponytail framed her face and drifted slightly in the breeze. Toshiro was at just the right angle so her could see the gentle smile on her face. She almost looked serene.

That serene look dropped as Wonderweiss exploded from the shadows, his claymore swinging to cut Yachiru's head off.

---

"NOW!" Her voice rang out. The kido users she had positioned behind her fired off their spells. One fireball hit Wonderweiss in the jaw, while the other struck his stomach. He was knocked back and Yachiru could feel him slide on the ground in the darkness in front of her.

"Aramaki," She called, "Sound the call"

"Hai!" Aramaki said, having not gone off to battle. He knew his weakness and strengths and even though he was a seated officer in the 11th, he wasn't a very good fighter. His strengths really lay in support.

He grabbed the horn they had for this purpose. He blew into it, drawing out two long notes that almost echoed through the air.

Yachiru heard Yumichika's voice call out, "That's the horn, fall back!" Sandals pounded on the ground as Shinigami ran towards the barricades again. Older members of the 11th knew what was coming and enough horror stories had passed around on drunken nights for the newer members. The 10th was completely in the dark, but they understood the simple fact that if the 11th was running, you were had better not get caught by what's chasing them.

Yachiru felt Wonderweiss rise, and almost sighed. Her boys weren't going to get past the line made by the torches in time for his next attack. She almost wondered what he was planning when he just stood there, but the pinkish-purplish glow signaled a cero. Yachiru bit her lip. She couldn't dodge, yet she couldn't get hit.

"Shit," She muttered as Wonderweiss fired the cero.

---

"DAMN IT!" Toshiro snarled, about to leap down and help. Kenpachi's voice stopped him.

"Brat's fine," that rumbling voice said. "Watch,"

Toshiro spun to glare at the man, "She just got hit with a cero by an Espada and you're saying she's fine!?"

"Taicho," Matusmoto's voice was soft and awed. Toshiro turned to stare down.

---

Yachiru opened her eyes to see a wall of vines entwined between her and the cero. She blinked, confused for a moment, her eyes going from flower bud to flower bud. A soft curse from her left though, made her glance over.

The vines were coming from Yumichika's sword hilt, as he stood there with blood pouring down a long gash on his left arm. His eyes were narrowed in concentration and he was glaring at the Espada. He saw Yachiru watching him and smirked though.

"I'm so unbeautiful right now, fuku-Taicho. Forgive me for being a mess. Everyone past the line, I'm last," The vines unraveled, going back to him. Yumichika's smirk grew a little weary though, "I think I'm just going to pass out over there now," He pointed towards the barricade and did an odd shuffle towards it.

Yachiru smiled and turned back to Wonderweiss. He was pissed. She almost laughed.

He swung his sword back at her and this time, she yanked Kumori out of the ground. "Kage Kusarigama!" She called and the sword shifted in her hands, elongating into a chain. On one end of the chain there was a small scythe, the other end held a weighted ball. She gripped the handle of the scythe and swung the chain, causing the chain to wrap around Wonderweiss's blade and pull him towards her.

She lifted the scythe, prepared to cut down, when he twisted. He brought his hand up towards her neck and she was forced to dip backwards to dodge. She flicked her wrist and a loop of the chain went around his arm. She yanked, fell to her back, pulled her knees up to her chest and as he lost his balance and fell towards her, she kicked out with her knees launching him over her head.

She up to her feet almost immediately, yanking the chain again, making his arm and sword wrench out of place. He landed hard and awkwardly on his side, still tangled in her weapon. She smirked.

He rose and gave her a murderous look. He leaned his head back and screamed.

Yachiru's hands instinctively went to her ears, as her heightened senses caught the piercing pitch of his scream and magnified it. She yelled in pain, as she felt her eardrums almost burst. The scream made her concentration waver and Kumori let out a yowl of warning as he shifted back to a sword, releasing Wonderweiss.

That was all the Espada needed. The moment he was free, he stopped his ear shattering sound and attacked. Yachiru almost didn't move fast enough to block the brunt of the attack and the force of the swing knocked her back into the darkness, where all the other hollows awaited.

She let out a scream of her own and disappeared.

---

This time, Toshiro was really about to jump down to help, when arms clamped down on his shoulders. He was about to shake them off when Matsumoto gasped.

"Ikkaku!" She almost snapped. Toshiro glanced back to see the bandaged and wincing Ikkaku Madarame holding him back.

Ikkaku ignored Matsumoto and looked at Toshiro. He shook his head, "You go down there now, Taicho, and you're going to wish you were dead. This isn't going to be pretty. Watch, don't do anything."

"You want me to watch as she dies?" Toshiro snapped. Kenpachi chuckled from his place. Toshiro glared at the man.

"Brat ain't going to die," Kenpachi said with a shrug. "but we're going to have to get her a 4 tattoo soon."

Ikkaku nodded and winced again, "She's going to use that,"

"What?" Matsumoto asked, her eyes darting from Kenpachi to Ikkaku. "What can Yachiru do?"

"You'll see," Ikkaku said. "And you'll wish you hadn't, I'm sure."

Toshiro just thought that the 11th division was insane. There was no way that Yachiru was going to be able to hold her own down there with all those hollows and that Espada.

Something shifted in the dark and Toshiro watched. The shadows themselves were twisting where Yachiru had been thrown. Under Toshiro's gaze, he realized that they were forming the shape of a giant cat. The cat slammed paws the size of building onto the ground and vivid pink eyes glared from the darkness. A vicious lion's roar erupted through the air and everything went silent as it faded.

Almost impossibly, he heard her voice on the wind.

"Hey, Wonderwiess. Are you afraid of the dark?"

---

"He, Wonderweiss. Are you afraid of the dark?" Her voice was deathly quiet, but perhaps Kumori was making it echo through the shadows. She really didn't care. She supposed it was either death of unleashing her secret weapon.

She had materialized Kumori in the darkness she was in. It had been completely unintentional, but it was one heck of a shocker. She smirked.

'_Having fun?'_ She asked quietly.

'_Shut up and do it!' _Kumori's voice roared through the air and Yachiru's mind. Yachiru didn't need anymore pushing then that.

"BAN-KAI!" Yachiru roared and the resulting explosion of reiatsu caused every hollow near her to be blown back.

Yachiru felt shadows wrapping around her neck and solidifying to become a choker, or a collar. It was the only real physical difference that happened in her bankai. At least, the only thing that happened to her.

The shadows and darkness that was already in her control in her Shikai seem to come together, gaining an oppressing power to them. Anything in them was at her mercy. She could spread them as well, which was what she was going to do.

She jerked her arm forward and the shadows erupted forward, shaped in a hand, grabbing Wonderweiss around the waist. He struggled and she pulled back, yanking him into the darkness. That was all.

She could do two things with her darkness in her bankai. She could make them solid, like hands or swords, to rip her opponents apart.

She could also make illusions with them, causing her victims to see horrible things. This was secretly her favorite. She always got an odd joy when her enemies were screaming in fear of her.

She couldn't really do both at the same time, so she decided to get rid of the foot soldiers first. Shifting the darkness into blades, she flicked her wrist. Hollow screams echoed in her ears as they were sliced in half. She smirked.

After every basic hollow and arrancar in her range was destroyed, the air almost turned into a rain of blood. It splashed against her skin and caused her to close her eyes. She opened them as she turned her attention to Wonderweiss. She snickered viciously.

"An easy death is not what you deserve. Kumori, if you will," She ordered. Kumori shifted and the shadows around Wonderweiss twisted and shifted. Yachiru couldn't see what Wonderweiss was seeing, the shadows already showed something new, but his screams of fear and pain were immensely satisfying.

She laughed.

---

Toshiro's eyes were wide, his jaw opened. Matsumoto was shivering, her body racking with fear. The simple combination of screams of fear and Yachiru's laugh was terrifying him. He gulped and looked back at Ikkaku and Kenpachi. Even Kenpachi looked a little uncomfortable.

"She's enjoying this too much," He muttered. Ikkaku nodded and noticed Toshiro's gaze.

"You never understood why we all respected her and feared her, hmm?" Ikkaku asked the small captain quietly.

Toshiro shook his head, "I always thought it was because you were afraid of Kenpachi,"

Ikkaku laughed mockingly, "Oh Taicho is terrifying in his own right, but if you truly want to make an 11th division member piss his pants, tell him Fuku-Taicho is looking for him and she's pissed. He'll never turn a light off."

"How did you know about this?" Toshiro asked. "She never uses her sword,"

"Very rarely," Kenpachi said, "Usually only when it's not going to be a fun fight for me. I'll let her unleash her shadows on them simply to keep her in shape."

"It's better that way," Ikkaku added.

"Why?" Toshiro questioned.

"Because if I let her use Kumori too much," Kenpachi murmured softly, "She'll be the next Aizen. Worse, even,"

A shiver raced down Toshiro's back.

---

Yachiru only tortured Wonderweiss for a moment. She stopped after the foam began appearing at the corners of his mouth. She un-did her bankai, calling Kumori back to his unreleased state. He grumbled, but she ignored him.

Wonderweiss hit the ground, half of his body in the light from the torches. He was giving small little jerks and twitches. Yachiru walked towards the barricade, ready for something to eat. As she passed his spasming body, she didn't even look down or slow down. She just swung her sword in underhanded arc towards her feet and smiled at the sound of metal hitting bone.

---

Toshiro watched the sword slice down into Wonderweiss's mask and watched the smile cross Yachiru's blood covered face. She never even slowed, just kept walking as the Espada drifted away behind her. He never even had a chance to release his zanpakuto.

Toshiro never thought he would actually fear Kusajishi Yachiru. He always thought of her as a nuisance, knew for a fact that she hid a stash of candy under his desk. Now, watching her walk towards the barricade, he realized that she was terrifying.

Watching the blood drip down her skin, dying her skin and hair red, something inside of him rejected her, calling her dangerous and awful. The intelligent side of him warned him that anything to do with her would ultimately end in his destruction.

But the reckless side of him told him that she had never been more beautiful.

**

* * *

**

OMAKE!!!

Matsumoto walked into the mess hall of the 10th, desperately needing something to eat. For some reason she had woken up at three this morning and could not get back to sleep. After a half-our of tossing and turning, she just gave up and headed towards the mess hall.

She stopped and froze though. Almost the entire division was already inside, getting food. She blinked and glanced at the clock. It was only 4:42 in the morning, why were they up? And why was every light in the entire cafeteria on? It was hideously bright inside.

She turned to the fourth seat, Hikaru, who was munching on a piece of bacon. His eyes were cracked, as if he was asleep, but Matsumoto figured it was the lights. "What's going on?" She asked.

Hikaru looked up at her and shrugged, "Couldn't sleep?"

"Why not?"

"Can't sleep with lights on," Hikaru muttered.

"Then turn off the lights!" Matusmoto snapped. She was really tired and the silly annoying answers were grating on her nerves.

"The cat'll get us. You might laugh, Matsumoto-fuku-Taicho, but I'm afraid of the dark now, thank you very much." Hikaru replied snippinly. Matsumoto blinked.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" She yelled, throwing her hands up in the air.

* * *

**Toshiro: You made my entire division afraid of her?**

**YAchiru: Please, all of Seireitei is afraid of me!**

**Healer: She's got a point.**


End file.
